The Hotel Alex Johnson is a historic hotel which opened its doors on July 1, 1928. It was build by Alex Carlton Johnson, Vice President of the Chicago & North Western Railroad. Construction began on August 19, 1927, just one day before work began on nearby Mount Rushmore.
Part of the hotel’s rich history is the famous guests it’s hosted. Six U.S. Presidents have stayed at the hotel—Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. It also has a famous connection with the movies.
Alfred Hitchcock, one of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers, also stayed here. Hitchcock, Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint used the hotel as lodging during the filming of the 1959 film, North by Northwest. The hotel is even mentioned in the movie several times. At the time, the hotel was owned by the Sheraton Hotels chain and was called the Sheraton-Johnson Hotel. However, in 1965 it was sold and regained its original name.
Location
The 11-story hotel is ideally located, right in heart of downtown Rapid City. In fact, if you want to stay downtown, there’s only one other hotel to choose from. The Rushmore Hotel & Suites, which is part of the Best Western Premier Collection, is also located downtown. I think the Alex Johnson is closer, however, to more downtown restaurants, shops, museums and entertainment.
Lobby
As you walk into the hotel, the design of the lobby transports you back about 90 years. The hotel’s design is a blend between the heritage of the Plains Indians and the Germanic Tudor architecture which represents the heavy German immigration in the Dakotas. The lobby floor even has the original brick flooring featuring Native American symbols.
Attached to the lobby is a unique gift shop which is a fun place to browse for a few minutes.
Checking-In
The friendly hotel staff made check-in a fast and painless process. They were quick to acknowledge my Hilton Diamond status and ran down all the benefits to having it. Some of the better benefits were free valet parking, a breakfast voucher to Starbucks, a fantastic hand-dipped chocolate bar from Chubby Chipmunk, and BOGO beverages at Starbucks and Paddy O’Neill’s Irish Pub.
The Room
With keys in hand, I headed up to my 6th floor room. I could tell the hotel was recently renovated as the hallway carpeting and paint were definitely newer.
As a Diamond member, I received an upgrade to a King Deluxe Room with wet bar. The room was very spacious and again showed that it had been recently updated.
The wet bar area contained several cabinets, a microwave, mini-fridge and Keurig coffeemaker.
The Bathroom
As was customary around the time the hotel was built, the bathroom is small. While it’s definitely a one-person-at-a-time bathroom, it was nice and clean.
Dining
The hotel has three dining options, including a really cool rooftop bar called the Vertex Sky Bar.
Vertex Sky Bar
Access to the Vertex Sky Bar is complimentary for all hotel guests while the public can use it for a small daily fee. The highlight of this two-story bar and restaurant is the panoramic views of Rapid City and the surrounding Black Hills.
The bar and restaurant serves craft cocktails, appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts.
The rooftop is really fantastic and has a great vibe to it. There’s seating outside on floors 10 and 11, and fire pits to keep patrons warm on cool evenings.
Paddy O’Neill’s Irish Pub
This restaurant is your typical Irish pub with dark wooden furnishings, bar food and plenty of whisky and beer. It’s named for Paddy O’Neill, the very first guest when the hotel opened in 1928.
Starbucks
Unfortunately, the hotel doesn’t have it’s own breakfast option. However, Hilton Gold and Diamond members, receive a voucher for $8 to use at the attached Starbucks.
Miscellaneous
The hotel boasts a fitness center and a full business center for those traveling for work.
Self parking is $9.95 while unlimited in-and-out valet parking is $18.95 per night.
Bottom Line
Rapid City is a cute, walk-able, small city and if you’re in the area, it’s worth a one or two night stay. For the perfect home base to explore the city and surrounding Black Hills area, look no further than the Hotel Alex Johnson. Make sure to visit the Vertex Sky Bar for dinner or at least a drink to enjoy the cool vibe and panoramic views. I loved that even after renovating, the hotel kept the historic features and decor that makes it special.
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